State of implementation

The activities included in this initiative, related to the design and implementation of a Digital laboratory of innovation to promote participation in public policies, are performed as part of a commission to ISDEFE, media owned by the Ministry of Defense signed on October 29, 2021. The order is based on the “Design Thinking” methodology, for the creation of a space of ideation, design, experimentation and knowledge in which public entities can innovate in collaboration with key actors of policies, projects and services.

The first activities to be carried out are: the identification of key actors, the creation of alliances, the organization of the laboratory, and the implementation of methodologies and tools for the laboratory. In addition, guides and tools will be generated for the export of the laboratory model to other areas or entities, and communication materials, including video editing.

A total of 559,000 euros will be allocated in three years, to be financed from European funds, since the implementation of the Laboratories is included in project 6, Inclusive open government in digital environment, of Component 11 of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, approved by the Spanish Government, in relation to the Modernization of Public Administrations, according to the following distribution, for the year 2021 (230,000€), for 2022 (188,000€) and for 2023 (141,000€).

The laboratory prototype is expected to be delivered and experienced before the end of 2023.

Estimated calendar

The development of the model takes place through the conestablishment of a Community of Participatory Practices, andn participating representatives of the three levels of public administration, in addition to academia, the Third Sector Platform and non-profit associations and foundations.

The constitutive session of this community of practices It was held on November 29, 2021, through an event broadcast live through the Transparency Portal and social networks, with the collaboration of the Government of Aragon. Inauguration by the Director General of Public Governance and the Director General of Open Government and Innovation of the Government of Aragon.

Initially, it is composed of 80 expert members from public administrations and civil society, with the participation of the OECD as well. This forum, which is organized in three areas of dedication and work, will exchange experiences and good practices on citizen participation, on participation platforms, participatory processes and innovation laboratories. The final objective of this Community is to implement in the area of responsibility of each sector or agency, specific issues to facilitate citizen participation in the scope of its competences.

Specifically, it is the Subcommunity on Innovation Laboratories, whose presentation was made on February 17, 2022, which supports the development of all activities of this initiative: 3.4.1 Development of the model: identification of the challenge, 3.4.2. Development of the model: generation of the team,3.4.3. Model development: generation of ideas and 3.4.4. Development of the model: prototype.

Currently, this subcommunity is carrying out the testing of the participation platform for the development of the model of innovation laboratory to promote participation in public policies.

3.4.1. Model development: identification of the challenge/problem.

For the definition of the innovation laboratory, commissioned to ISDEFE, it has been based on the identification of key actors, both in citizen participation and in other government and participation laboratories, embodied in a map where these key agents are visualized and the way of relating to them.

In addition, a presentation of the laboratory was made, in the International Transparency Congress of Cartagena, from 28 to 30 September, inaugurating a new collaborative space for the Open Government Academic Network.

3.4.2. Development of the model: generation of the team (multidisciplinary with participation of the citizens and other AA. PP).

Once the constitutive session was held in November 2021, and the creation of the Community of Practices together with the 3 subcommunities, it has proceeded to its launch in 3 virtual presentation events:

• Subcom Laboratories 17 February
• Subcom Processes 10 February
• Subcom Platforms 24 February

In addition, from the technology platform, technical support is given to the COP coordinators and subcommunities, along with support in the development of the various activities carried out.

The Community of Participatory Practices held a first Encounter, in hybrid format (face-to-face and virtual) on June 30, 2022 at the headquarters of the INAP in Madrid within the events of the Open Administration Week 2022. The different interventions and presentations are available in the collaborative space of HazLab.

3.4.3. Development of the model: generation of ideas.

It has begun with the development of an analysis of other laboratories, whether of government or citizen participation, at national and international level, that could contribute to the definition of our laboratory, reviewing its organization, way of work, services offered, and activities carried out, among others.

It has worked together with the Subcommunity of Laboratories of the Community of Participatory Practices in the definition of the laboratory as a space of ideation, design, experimentation and knowledge to innovate in citizen participation. They have been carried out through 4 workshops in virtual format, under Design Thinking methodology, which will allow progress in the definition and prototype of the services that the digital laboratory of innovation can offer.

In particular, the 4 workshops defined were the following, which have been accompanied by asynchronous activities that allowed us to continue devising and analyzing the work carried out in the previous session:

• Session 1- Discover (24 March). To know and understand the user and its context
• Session 2- Synthesize (20 April). To define the key problem to be solved
• Session 3- Cocreate (14 June). To explore different solutions
• Session 4- Prototipar (next 20 September). To define specifications for the Lab services and its tools.

The material that has been generated in these workshops has served to design a methodology for using a digital laboratory of innovation in citizen participation.

The material produced in these workshops has been collected for the development of the laboratory prototype. It can be consulted in the following link laboratory HazLab.

3.4.4. Development of the model: prototype.

Once the digital space has been selected and tested HazLab, which supports the laboratory, was launched in February, with the defined and validated functionalities. These functionalities are being updated and adapted to the needs of the different work processes that are being generated.

It has opted for a free software, although under commercial license, that allows a faster advance in the implementation. A set of online tools for the laboratory, such as webinars, ideation sessions, always open meeting rooms, shared workspaces, for example, has also been made available to participants.

In the month of March, the design of the brand, made by Prodigioso Volcán, has been completed, which covers the name, the logo, the color palette, and various graphic material (office templates, signage, etc.), which has been defined throughout different working sessions in conjunction with DGGP, LAAAB and ISDEFE. Finally, agreeing that the laboratory should be called HazLab, Innovation Laboratory in Citizen Participation, with a claim of Action, Transformation, Participation.

In April, HazLab’s presence on social networks began, opening an account on Twitter @haz_lab and Youtube, where it offers its own or third-party content that may be of interest (reports, articles, events, recordings, etc.) that has been previously reviewed and validated by the DGGP. A HazLab profile is also available on Linkedin.

In addition, in June, an infographic and a short video were presented that summarizes what HazLab is and what it is used for (https://hazlab.es/es/espaciopublico/tema/conoce-en-detalle-lo-que-puede-ofrecerte-hazlab) ; and in the month of July, the summer newsletter with the main news of HazLab was launched.

The HazLab digital space is the technical support and collaborative work space of the Community of Practice Participates IV Plan and specifically the three subcommunities in which it is structured: citizen participation platforms; participation processes; participation laboratories. Each subcommunity is led by a coordinator or coordinator and has its own adapted collaborative space of work, exchange of experience and interaction. At the second meeting of the Community of Practice of Participation, held on February 22, 2023, the laboratory subcommunity presented job desarrollado durante 2022 (disponible en HazLab) que da soporte a la iniciativa:

Service Design for the HazLab Digital Innovation Lab Prototype . It is about the results of the elaboration of a process Design for the prototype laboratory, detailing the methodology from the Design Thinking, in each of the four phases of the project (discover – synthesize – cocreate and prototype), and explaining the profiles found and the findings associated to each of them.

For its part, HazLab also serves as collaborative space for Transparency Law Reform Working Group, and for AGE Integrity System, which have their own space within the platform.

In April, HazLab’s presence on social networks began, opening an account on Twitter @haz_lab and Youtube, where it offers its own or third-party content that may be of interest (reports, articles, events, recordings, etc.). which has been previously reviewed and validated by the DGGP. A HazLab profile is also available on Linkedin.

For its part, HazLab also serves as collaborative space, as of September 2024, The HazLab digital space has about 744 participants, which represents an increase of 60% over those that existed in September last year. More than 1,300 contents have been generated. These figures are expected to increase, both within the currently existing groups and those that are in the process of being created.

3.4.5. Diffusion/generalization: pilot experiences.

Through HazLab, we worked on the definition of the scope and activities of the pilot experience, starting with a social research to diagnose the needs and barriers encountered by older people in access to services and administrative procedures.

Work has been completed on the development of a multi-channel care model for older people. This work began with the configuration of the team, to later carry out the analysis of the problem through co-creation sessions with associations of seniors, majors, employees and management teams of the Open Government DG. Based on the information collected from this phase, the archetypes and user experience maps (Journey maps), moved to the next stage where three prototypes were developed (Internal and external dissemination, digital kit and face-to-face care protocol for older people). Finally, the prototype evaluation phase was carried out and a workshop with experts was held.

Regarding the start-up of new experiences, one has been set in motion space for the Higher Council for Traffic, Road Safety and Sustainable Mobility which currently has three different working groups (road and work safety, motorcycles and mopeds and road infrastructures).

We are also currently working on two participatory spaces, one for the elaboration of the V Open Government Plan and another with Hydrographic Confederation of Júcar for the implementation of various projects related to environmental care, such as water purification and reuse. Finally, contacts have been established with some Autonomous Communities for the implementation of spaces related to the educational field.